Container



R. J. WHITE May 19, 1942.

CONTAINER Filed sept. 28, 1959 v Patented May 19, 1942 CONTAINER Richard J. White, New York, N. Y., assignerv to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Y Applicationseptember 28, 1939, serial No. 296,982; v

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to dredging cans for powders, condiments and the like and has particular reference to a fully sealed rectangular can which is opened by breaking out scored parts cut in a particular or predetermined position within a sunken panel of the can end to provide a slide seat for a dat perforated top slide, two opposed edges of which engage under ledges formed in bent and collapsed side walls of the sunken panel by means of which the can may be fully opened for dispensing of its contents as in removal by a spoon, or the 'dispensing may be done by sifting the contents through the perforations or dredge openings'in the slide, or the can may be reclosed again against any discharge of its contents.

An object ofthe present invention is the pro vision of a dredging canwhich is initially sealed on its contents and which may be opened to make effective a atperforated slide which is slidably retained in a sunken panel part of the can top, the position and style of opening as well as the combined cooperation of the parts allowing for selective full open dispensing or sifter dispensingof the can contents or for reclosingi the can.

Another object is the provision of a flat slide member for a rectangular dredging can of the character described which is slidably'retained on the top of the can by folded ledges formed in the top and which in one position exposes a large dispensing opening made in the can top at the time the can is -rst opened, thus permitting a large amount of the contents to be removed as by a spoon and with only a slight movement, the slide member covers the dispensing opening and recloses the can, an intermediate position of the slide providing for sifter dispensing of the contents. l Y

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper part of a can embodying the present invention and showing the can closed;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4V are top plan views of the can of Fig. 1 showing the slide closure in a diiferent position in each view; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are longitudinal and transverse sectional views drawn to a larger scale and taken respectively along the lines 5 5 andV B- in Fig. 4. Y v y Y l The present invention is concerned with a dredging can having a simple one-piece top slide which has longitudinalmovement across a depressed panel Wall, the slide being held in position by overhanging` ledges formed in the can end and on opposite sides of the depressed panel part. The slide becomes effective after the can has been initially opened by breaking out a scored part of the top end.k Such a can is rectangular in'shape and the slide is also rectangular so that it may be moved back and forth across the can top while Abeing guided and maintained in a straight line of travel to perform the proper action for dispensing of the contents or to act as a reclosure for the opened can.

Such a rectangular cancomprises a ycan body II preferably formed` of metall The invention is concerned primarily with the construction of the can top and parts carried thereby and therefore only the can top is shown in the drawing. It will be understood that the can will have an imperforate bottom of usual construction. A top or end member I2 is provided and may be primarily of the usual dished form required for double seaming where the end I2 and the can body Il are joined together in ar double seam the seam being designated by the numeral Ill. This usual dished form of can topcleaves a web wall I5'inside of the surrounding double seam and this wall in the present embodiment is further depressed in al sunken panel I6. The panel I6 is rectangular, its walls following the general rectangular conltour of the walls of the can top, the panel part being of slightly smaller dimensions to completely confine the slidel closure member previously referred to. l

The sunken panel I6 as it is primarily drawn from the web wall I5 of the can end, is formed withv a at panel wall II and surrounding vertical walls I8. Walls I8v are boundary walls joining the panel wall with the top end wall I5. Two of the walls I8 are later reshaped as hereinafter described. The flat surface of the sunken panel wall I 'I permits the use of ra flat one-piece top slide 2| which rests in close contact with the panel wall but has movement over the wall while still at all times closely engaging with its upper surface. I

To insure simple and eiective sliding con-Y nection for the slide member 2| and at the same time to retain it against displacement from the into an S-,shape in cross section as indicated at 22 in Fig. 6. Each reformed collapsed wall 22 now consists of a straight channel 23` and a straight overhanging ledge 24. There are thus two opposed channels and two opposite overhanging ledges.

From a manufacturing standpoint it is desirable to assemble the slide 2| in the sunken panel |6 of the can top |2 prior to collapsing the walls I8 in forming its channels and ledges 23, 24. This means, therefore, that the slide 2| is in seated position on the sunken panel I6 at the time of forming the S-section 22 in the opposed Walls of the panel. It will thus be evident by reference to Fig. 6, that the slid'e 2| after reshaping of the Walls is movably retained by having its opposite edges engaged within the channels 23, the overhanging ledges'24 preventing displacement of the slide from the can end.

The slide 2| is preferably in the position illustrated. in Fig. 2 when the can, filled with its contents, is received by the ultimate consumer. This is an exact predetermined position, the forward edge of the slide, toward the left as viewed in this figure, being against one of the straight vertical Walls I8 of the depressed panel I6. It is first necessary When access to the can contents is to be had, to effect an opening through the imperforate can top.

The can top |2 on one side of its median line and in one end of its sunken panel` I1 is cut through fully or in part by score lines. These lines are preferably patterned as a continuous arc line 21 which has its ends joined by a broken scored chord line 28. Such score lines set off a removable part 29 of the can top.

As a preparatory step in opening the can, the slide 2| is drawn longitudinally across the can top to the opposite side, that is, from the position of Fig. 2 into that of Fig. 3. To permit easy movement of the slide, the same may be previously formed with a central looped fingerpiece 3|, which in the embodiment herein disclosed, is formed centrally of the slide and which extends substantially across its width. Such va finger-piece being an integral part of the slide, requires no additional parts. ItsY top is below the top rim of the surrounding double seams I4, as best illustrated in Fig. `5. This allows for stacking or other handling' of the cans,

With the slide 2| in the position of Fig.V 3, the scored lines 21, 28 are fully exposed and may be easily broken through. To open the kcanY and to render the slide 2| effective as aslide closure, the segmental removable area or part 29 is pushed down or depressed into the can, the arcuate score line 21 breaking through and the metal of the top end bending along ythe broken chord score line 2B. A y

This removal of thepart 29Mfrom the plane of the can top creates a dispensing opening 32 (Fig, 5). The shape of this opening in this present embodiment is such asto allow for insertion of a spoon into the can. The straight chord part 28 of the opening providesV a scraping surface so that a spoonful of the contents of the can may be withdrawn when the Yparts are in this open position. v K

In order to reclose the opened can and to confine the contents again, the finger-piece 3| of the slide 2| is again engaged and the slide is pushed back to its original position. Fig. 2 illustrates the slide with its forward edge against the end wall I8 of the sunken panel I6 as it was before opening of the can. The slide in this position fully covers the dispensing opening 32 and closes off the can against inadvertent dispensing of its contents.

The sifting position of the slide 2| is disclosed in Fig. 4. This is an intermediate position the opposite edges of the slide being free and spaced from both straight walls |8 of the panel I6. In the present embodiment of the invention, the drawing discloses an arcuate or curved line of perforations 35. In the sifter position of Fig. 4, these perforations are aligned and in registry with the dispensing opening 32. As illustrated in Fig. 5 these dispensing openings are cut entirely through the slide Wall and they thus form passageways for the contents in conjunction with the dispenser opening 32. The contents passing out through the perforations are thus subjected to a sifter or dredging dispensing action.

By reason of the construction of the fingerpiece 3| and its being formed from the bentup central section of the slide, an inwardly curved depression 36 is formed at the base of the finger-piece. In the intermediate or sifting position of the slide this is utilized forholding the slide in its sifting position. For this purpose a small protuberance 31 (Figs. 2 and 5) which is pressed up in the panel wall |1 centrally of the can top, is engaged into the depression 36` at the base of the finger piece 3|. This removably holds the slide in exact sifting position.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing al1`of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

A rectangular dredge top can comprising a top and having a depressed panel provided withV a dispensing area and an outward protuberancev spaced therefrom, ay perforated slide member movably confined in close sliding contact with said panel and Ymovable in opposite directions thereon relative to said area, said slide having an integral upstanding looped finger engaging element thereon anda consequent curved de pression on its panel engaging surface directly beneath said nger element, movement of said slide member in one direction relative to the panel covering said dispensing area and inthe opposite direction exposing said' area, said slide when in an intermediate position aligning its perforations with said dispensing area for "a sifting of the can contents, at which time said panel protuberance releasably engages said slide depression to yieldably maintain the slide in sifting position. i

RICHARD J. WHITE. 

